


One Left Behind

by Is_mayonnaise_an_instrument



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: How Do I Tag, I'll add more tags if I continue this, My First Fanfic, Short, Timeskip, im sorry to do this to you hop, implied depression, possibly to be continued?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:15:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21696790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Is_mayonnaise_an_instrument/pseuds/Is_mayonnaise_an_instrument
Summary: Compared to what his three friends were achieving, Hop feels his situation is kinda ... underwhelming.-----Short idea I wrote in between doing homework. I have thought about turning this into a full story, but I'll save it for when I have free time. For now, enjoy this depressing oneshot.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	One Left Behind

"And now - to introduce our prestigious Galar gym leaders!" Leon pointed to the group of eight battlers striding onto the field. The crowd cheered as they focused on the two newest additions to the roster, Bede -the fairy gym leader- and Marnie -the dark gym leader.

Bede practically bathed in the glory and attention, soaking the applause into all his senses. He showed off his new outfit: a princely suit with both the gym's trademark cotton-candy colors and Bede's trademark purples. He even had a watch that fit his wrist this time!

Next to him, Marnie shyly waved to the crowd, still anxious with all the attention. She still wore the sports-bra and shorts she received when she was first hired, but Marnie was now decorated with new jewelry and pins and other accessories. To top it all off, Marnie had her old leather jacket, with her number haphazardly spray-painted on the back in Team Yell's neon magenta. 

Once the gym leaders made it to centerfield, Marnie and Bede on either side of the rock-type expert Gordie, Leon bombastically introduced the young champion. Gloria dashed out into the crowd, her loyal Cinderace roaring and inciting the audience's excitement. She was still adorned in her humble trainer outfit -barret, sweater, dress, and all- yet her entrance made the stadium burst with cheers. 

All of it was truly an exhilarating and blood-pumping ceremony.

And then there was Hop, miles away watching all this on his tiny Rotom-phone. His indigo hair was a mess without his normal hair gel, and the dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than ever. He was hunched-over sitting on his bed, covered in blankets and a grey sweatshirt, in his dark bedroom only lit by the phone’s screen. The audio from the phone was just loud enough to muffle the sound coming from the teen, the sound of crying from a mix of awe, self-hatred, and the jealousy he thought he'd abandoned a while back. 

Six months ago, Hop thought he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. To be a pokemon professor, helping new trainers learn the basics, observing pokemon behavior, helping pokemon in dire need, and working with his close friend Sonia. And those were still part of the job, but there was so much else to the job Hop wished someone warned him about before he got his mind set on it. There were the research reports that had to all be written extremely formally and academically, the endless night staying up working with very little sleep, the lack of being able to battle or train. Not to mention when things went wrong and both people and pokemon commonly got hurt. 

So Hop finally had to admit this wasn't what he wanted, to himself, to Sonia, and to everyone else. While Sonia was accepting of his decision, Leon assured Hop he was no lesser just because this didn't work out, and Mom offered help in finding another career path for him, Hop couldn't help but feel like a disappointment to everyone. He felt like after his journey -after saving the world!- he had to do something important. Being a professor just didn't work out, and Sonia was just much better suited for the job. And, unfortunately, Hop couldn't go and be a gym leader or champion. 

That all led Hop here, crying because he couldn't live up to the standards his rivals had set for themselves. Crying, desperately hoping nobody opens the door to see him in this state. He thought to himself in the dimly lit room, he could've been champion if he were better at battling, he could've been a gym leader if he were luckier, he could've been a professor if he were smarter. 

But compared to everyone else, Hop just saw himself as the one that got left behind.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, so constructive criticism is appreciated! Also, leave kudos or comments if you want me to continue with this and see if Hop can find some happiness. Poor boy :(


End file.
